Sticking With You
by Livelier
Summary: James reflects while watching over Harry's chat with Remus at Grimmauld Place in DH. JP/HP, JP/LP, JP/RL, RL/HP. Oneshot! R&R?


A/N: I wrote this a while ago, and it's been sitting in my story binder, so I just decided to type it up and post it. I copied the dialogue between Remus and Harry straight from the book punctuation and all so this one is a bit more accurate than Cloud Nine was. Hehe. I had a lot of requests for a sequel to Cloud Nine, but that just didn't feel right to me, so I came up with this. I hope you guys like it. Review please!! Thanks!

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything associated with the Harry Potter franchise. All the characters and ideas you recognize belong to Joanne Rowling. Lucky. Enjoy! _

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Sticking With You

"James. James, honey, wake up," Lily Potter said quietly, shaking her husband's still form gently.

James rolled over, and buried his face in the pillows, groaning something about death and sleep, before turning over to glare at his beautiful wife. "What is so bloody important that you had to interrupt my ?" he began, infusing his tired, thick voice with as much anger as he could muster.

"They've taken over the Ministry the Death Eaters have and invaded the wedding at the Burrow," Lily explained quickly, cutting him off. Her expression was hectic, and her eyes wild with panic.

James bolted out of bed, and pulled Lily into his arms. "What about Harry? Is he okay?" he asked frantically, giving her shoulders a little shake.

She took his hands from her arms and squeezed them with her own. "Yes, yes he's fine. Hermione bless the girl's soul had everything packed and ready to go. She, Harry, and Ron all Apparated to Tottenham road "

"What? But that's Muggle London!" James protested loudly, giving her a disbelieving look.

Lily sighed, exasperated, and said, "Yes, James, I realize that. Will you _please_ let me finish now?"

He nodded and pursed his lips obediently, waving a hand as to let her know she could proceed.

"Two Death Eaters Dolohov and Rowle found them somehow, but the kids Stunned one and petrified the other, so they were able to escape to Sirius's place.

"James, he found my letter. You know, the one I sent to Sirius, thanking him for the toy broom he had gotten Harry for his first birthday? Yes? Well, the second half had been stolen, and the picture was ripped in half as well; he could only find the half with him flying around, James," Lily said. Worry was etched in every line of her aged face.

"You don't know who took it?" James asked, his forehead creasing, and his lips turning down at the corners.

Lily shook her head. Of course, she had her suspicions; after all, she knew what the last page of the letter held, and so she had an inkling of who would be interested in taking it, but she thought it best not to voice her ideas.

James, too, thought he knew who it might have been, but didn't share his thoughts with her in fear of upsetting his wife. The loss of her best friend to the dark arts was still a touchy subject, although many years had passed since then.

"What's happening now?" he inquired, taking her hand and leading her to the edge of the cloud, where they had sat the last seven year, watching over the boy their boy that they had just barely known, but felt so close to at the same time.

"When I left to come get you, they were anxiously awaiting for Kreacher to return with Mundungus Fletcher, who they think might have Regulus's locket," Lily replied, sitting down and peering over the edge. "Is that Remus? There, on the top step, is that him?"

James squinted and leaned forward to get a better look. "Damn, Moony, you look like hell," he muttered to himself, frowning.

"One would think he would be happy, seeing as he just got married!" Lily mused out loud, tilting her head to one side in order to examine him more fully. It appeared that James's observation had been correct: his robes were wrinkled and torn, his hair too long and matted, and his shoulders were hunched in defeat.

They both watched as Lupin verified his identity for Harry, and chastised Ron and Hermione for lowering their wands too quickly.

James's arm instinctively tightened around Lily's waist as Remus revealed the Ministry's newest way of rounding up the Muggle-borns, and Lily watched in horror as the picture on the front page of the _Prophet _showed a handful of Muggle-borns of all ages lined up to submit their name and information.

"It's terrible," she whispered, covering her mouth with shaky, pale fingers.

James nodded somberly and rubbed his hand against her exposed arm soothingly. His ears perked up a little at the mention of the Order.

"I'll understand if you can't confirm this, Harry, but the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you a mission," Remus was saying.

James heard Harry reply and just a few moments later, shake his head and say, "I can't Remus, I'm sorry, If Dumbledore did tell you I don't think I can."

Remus sighed. "I thought you'd say that," he said, frowning. "But I might still be of some use to you…" But James didn't hear the rest of his best friend's offer, because Lily was nodding enthusiastically and cooing, "oh, James, wouldn't that be wonderful? They would have so much more success finding the Horcruxes with Remus along!"

James shushed his wife but still wasn't able to catch the rest of what Remus was saying. She quieted just in time to hear Hermione ask, "But what about Tonks?"

Yes, what about her? Remus or at least, the Remus James knew wasn't one to leave his wife just to chase after a few kids determined to be the ones to bring about Voldemort's end.

But then James frowned to himself.

Did he really know Remus anymore? After all this time, could they still be best friends? Their relationship was never like his and Sirius's had been is. Yes, Remus was always fiercely loyal, and would have done anything to help his friends, but Remus was more of a thinker and less of a doer. He never ran, like the rest of them. He would always stop and study his surrounding, pondering how best to solve his problems. This trait always provided a nice counterbalance to James and Sirius's don't-think-just-do policy.

Did he still think of James as his best friend?

James snapped out of his thoughts when Lily squealed happily and threw her arms around him. "Did you hear that, James? Remus is going to have a baby Well, Tonks is, but Remus is going to be a daddy!"

James smiled absently, and hugged her to him, needing her closeness. "It is wonderful."

"Shh, I want to hear the rest!" Lily said, pulling away but keeping her arms around him.

Below, Harry stared at Remus, wearing a confused expression. "Just Just to be clear," he said. "You want to leave Tonks at her parents' house and come away with us?"

"She'll be perfectly safe there, they'll look after her," said Remus in a casual voice. "Harry, I'm sure James would have wanted me to stick with you."

Lily could almost hear James's teeth click together.

"Well, I'm not," Harry said, staring evenly back at him. "I'm pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually."

And the expression on Lupin's face told him that he knew Harry was right.

"James…" Lily said softly.

He shook his head at nothing in particular, and let his eyes slip closed. Lily stood up, placing a loving kiss on his head before squeezing his should and walking away.

"…My father died trying to protect my mother and me, and you reckon he'd tell you to abandon your kid to go on an adventure with us?" Harry asked, standing up, raising his eyebrows.

Beneath his closed lids, a lone tear seeped out from James's eye. He tried so hard to put himself in Remus's shows, but couldn't fathom why he would want to leave Tonks and his baby. The day Lily had told him that she was pregnant had been one of the happiest days of his life. Ashamed of himself or not, how could he want that?

Maybe this wasn't the Remus James had always known and loved. It couldn't be. His Remus would have faced the challenge with a positive outlook, and worked to conquer the hurdles placed in front of him.

Now, he wanted run away from them? Harry had been right to call him a coward. He was acting like one.

A swell of pride inflated James's heart, as he looked down upon his son _his son!_

"Parents shouldn't leave their kids unless they've got to," James echoed. Then he stood up and left to find Sirius and Lily to recount the scene they'd just witnessed.

The End

_Thanks for reading!! Review?_


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